


A Second Opinion

by babywarg (morphaileffect)



Series: Ironstrange Bingo [24]
Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Unrequited Crush, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-04
Updated: 2020-01-17
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:20:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22114000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/morphaileffect/pseuds/babywarg
Summary: People might think that Tony Stark, executive assistant to the powerful Pepper Potts, lived a high-flying life, full of friends and new experiences and complicated affairs.But the truth was, Tony Stark’s life was simple.It was all about himself, the person he loved, and the person who loved him.
Relationships: Tony Stark/Stephen Strange
Series: Ironstrange Bingo [24]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1291997
Comments: 16
Kudos: 143
Collections: IronStrange Bingo 2019





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a complete and total AU. Imagines Tony and Pepper’s backgrounds switched (Pepper as the privileged heiress to a major tech company; no idea about Pepper’s past, but imagines Tony as having a mostly clerical working background, living simply and staying grounded). Also imagines Stephen as a vet. And the three of them as roughly around the same age (30s).
> 
> Inspired by a photoset of party heiress Pepper and his assistant, the meek glasses-wearing Tony...I can't seem to find anymore...but if anyone can find it, I'd be grateful!
> 
> For the Ironstrange 2019 bingo square "No Powers."

_Boring here. Hope the party you’re in isn’t._

Tony smiled. He always did, every time he received a text from Stephen.

 _Just waiting for the boss to drink too much,_ he typed in response. _Hoping she won’t, but odds are slim to none._

He sighed as he sent the text, and cast a weary glance at his boss, who was seated at the other end of the room, with a few other tech executives who were invited to that upscale gathering.

Already, she was laughing too loudly, whiskey glass still in hand.

She was also getting a bit touchy. Tony frowned. Did she _have_ to touch Elon’s arm like that? His joke wasn’t _that_ funny.

_If things go south, call me and I’ll pick you both up, all right?_

Tony smiled again at this new text. But it was out of the question.

He’d come to the party with his boss, in a fancy stretch limo manned by a trusted driver. He needed to bring his boss back to her hotel room in the _same limo_ , or tongues would wag.

Although it was nice, having a fallback.

Tony knew he was lucky he had someone looking out for him. Who made him smile.

But when he was at his job, like now, he stood alone, and felt it.

“You’re Potts’ boy, aren’t you?”

This question was from the guy who’d plopped himself down beside Tony. Tony hastily put away his phone upon being addressed.

He cleared his throat. “Executive secretary,” he meekly corrected. “Yes, sir. Tony Stark.” He extended his hand for shaking. But the man pretended not to notice.

“Don Tremayne,” he said acidly. “VP of Operations, Northclaw.”

Tony withdraw his hand, but strove to keep up his smile. Already he hated the guy, but he needed to keep up a pleasant front, for the company’s sake.

“Word on the vine is that she’ll favor Ostler over us in her planned merger.” Tremayne grunted. “See what happens when you let a girl handle Daddy’s money?”

Okay, Tony _really_ hated this guy now. His polite smile faded, and he let it.

“She’s making a mistake,” Tremayne continued. Tony wondered if he was drunk. He probably was. Every other rich jerkwad in the place was. “You know that, right? As if she won’t have enough trouble with the rest of her board opposing her, Northclaw is going to have to partner up with LeBlanc and crush Potts Industries.”

Tony tilted his head slightly to the right. “That sounds like a threat, Mr. Tremayne.“

“Just pointing out the obvious, Mr. Stark!” Pretending to be friendly, without putting much effort into it. “Unlike Ostler, Northclaw has a solid presence in Southeast Asia. Anyone who partners with us stands to gain. And if a strong company like Potts signs up with us, the two of us will be unstoppable. I’m sure little miss Virginia knows this, but seems to be too intimidated by us to take action.”

“Yeah, here’s the thing.” _You call her “little miss Virginia” again and I’m socking you in the jaw, I don’t care how rich you are._ “Miss Potts knows all about Northclaw’s illegal dealings in South Africa, as well as your board of Directors’ highly publicized indiscretions. If she’s ignoring you, it’s not because she’s intimidated.”

Tony leaned back in the sofa chair, resting his elbow on top of the backrest. Normally, he despised this - affecting the same airs as the moneyed people he worked with - but it was sometimes part of the job.

And when Miss Potts’ honor was on the line, well...he was willing to let himself take pleasure in it. Even a little.

“You’re threatening us with LeBlanc?” he said sweetly to Tremayne, eyes narrowing. “Next year, we’ll be launching innovations that will render many competitors’ products irrelevant - Northclaw’s and LeBlanc’s included. If you’re considering them, you’d better partner up with them within the next year. Because if you’re not fast enough, we’re going to start rolling out, and they may be forced to close up shop. With you on their heels.”

Tremayne went white at the change of tone. Even whiter, when he finally absorbed what Tony was telling him.

Tony’s boss was pretty and popular - a darling of the press, moreso because of the many personal scandals she got embroiled in. Small-minded people like Don Tremayne tended to think of her as a brainless, attention-hungry party girl, spoiled silly by her father’s money and clueless as to how to run a multi-billion dollar tech company.

Always so satisfying to show them how wrong they were.

Somewhere nearby, there was a whoop. It was Tony’s boss.

She had stepped up onto a table and was daring another executive to prove her wrong on something she had said. Daring him so loudly and obnoxiously that she drew the entire room’s attention.

Tony had to get there, fast.

So he wrapped up his exchange with the speechless Tremayne.

“As Miss Potts herself would say: you don’t know who you’re dealing with.” He stood from the sofa chair, formally straightened his shirt. “Enjoy the party, Mr. Tremayne.”

The stunned look on Tremayne’s face was enough of a prize for Tony, as he pocketed his win and strode across the room toward his inebriated boss.

***

Tony was no longer responding to his texts, which meant he probably had his hands full.

Stephen sighed and put his smartphone away.

Guess it was time to finally mingle with this boring lot.

“How’s the vet business, Stevie boy?” the guy seated beside him said.

Elmer. Who had been trying to talk to him all evening. And with his phone put away, Stephen no longer had an excuse to ignore him.

“Fine,” he coldly replied. “Thank you.”

“You know, we miss you back at the hospital,” Elmer said, in a teasing tone. “Especially Christine.”

Stephen secretly groaned.

“I doubt that very much, because Christine and I still talk on a regular basis,” he corrected. “And when is it ever going to sink in that we _never_ dated, Elmer? We’re just good friends.”

“Sure, yeah, okay.” Elmer rolled his eyes comically, and everyone else listening laughed.

Office gossip sure had a long shelf life.

He had not wanted to go to that new year party. It was made up of old people with whom he was not quite friends, and not quite enemies either.

But Christine had told him it was good for him to show his face in public again - and worse, _Tony_ had said the same. Even if they didn’t strictly conspire, Stephen was helpless to the two of them saying the same thing.

He was thinking he’d been there for two hours, avoiding talking to people...maybe it was safe to go home?

Then his phone rang.

 _Tony?_ was his first thought.

But the caller ID said _Christine_.

He picked up immediately, left to find a quiet spot in the room so he could hear her better.

 _“I know you’re at Hannah’s party right now,”_ Christine said breathlessly, _“but I’m at the ER. Can you run over? GSW with intracranial bleeding. But that’s not all. You need to come down here.”_

A familiar, welcome shot of adrenaline coursed through him. He must remember to thank Christine later for the rescue.

“I’m on my way,” he said, then ended the call.

But just before leaving, he fired off another text:

***

_ER. Be safe tonight._

Tony sighed after reading that text.

Guess he’d have to call an Uber, after all.

It was a pity. He’d been looking forward to a ride with Stephen. He was exhausted, and he could comfortably sleep in Stephen’s car. His nervous brain just couldn’t relax the same way in just any other vehicle.

It had been an hour since the text was sent. He hoped Stephen’s ER run turned out well.

Tony was now in a hotel room with his boss, who was passed out in bed.

Earlier, he’d taken off her coat and shoes, and had somehow convinced her to take off her own jewelry, the ones that might hurt her in her sleep.

Miss Potts was asleep. He should be going.

But even after four years in her employ, he never quite got used to seeing her like this.

Childlike and vulnerable. Not snarky, bitter or playful. Not riddled with spikes, from growing up a rose in a briar patch.

Just _herself_.

“Tony...?” she called softly.

He rushed back to her bedside.

“Miss Potts,” he answered.

“Did I do it?” she slurred without opening her eyes. “Did I push Mike Govern’s face into a bowl of $500 punch for what he said to me?”

Tony had an idea what Mike Govern had said to her. Miss Potts was rambling about it all through their ride back to the hotel. But she was drunk and what she was saying wasn’t clear to him. Well, it didn’t have to be.

“No, you didn’t,” he honestly answered. “But you know what? In the morning, you probably won’t remember what he said and why you wanted to push his face into a punch bowl for it.”

It was standard. She got blackout drunk and forgot.

Like that time, a couple of months ago, when she passed out drunk in the car, holding Tony’s hand, her head on Tony’s shoulder.

She forgot that, too. But he didn’t.

“Trust fund boys are pigs,” she mumbled, as if she didn’t hear what he said. “So glad you’re not one of them.”

Tony smiled sadly.

_The downside of that, Miss Potts, is that you don’t notice me at all._

“Still there, Tony?” One of her strengthless hands tried to reach out for him, but landed limp back on the bed. “Don’t go yet. Please.”

But the truth was, there were no real downsides. She didn’t need trust fund boys. She needed someone who could keep up with her hectic schedule and mercurial mood swings. Someone who could take her to safety after she inevitably drank too much at the endless parties she attended.

Someone who actually, deeply felt for her, whenever she hurt herself like this.

A shoulder to lean on, a hand to hold.

One day, maybe, she was going to realize that what she needed was right beside her all along.

Until then...

“I’m here, Miss Potts.”

He placed his hand near hers, let it wrap around his.

“I’m always here.”


	2. Chapter 2

They met through what might be best remembered as Pepper’s divine intervention.

Jarvis, Tony’s new rescue puppy (at the time - it had been four years since then), had taken ill. Pepper noticed that Tony’s head wasn’t in the game for a few days, and asked him what was wrong.

So, Tony reluctantly told her about the puppy he’d fallen in love with when he accompanied a young neighbor to the shelter to pick out a pet.

The shelter didn’t inform him that the puppy was sick with a tumor. When he took the puppy to the veterinary hospital, he was told that the tumor wasn’t benign. And not even their best vets could do anything about it.

He was about to lose a friend. One that he’d just made. He wasn’t dealing with it well.

Pepper told Tony about a vet who had an independent clinic near their New York office. Her high society friends had rambled about him. “I heard he has magic hands,” she said. “But he doesn’t get a lot of patients, because he charges through the nose.”

“I doubt I can afford him, then,” Tony had joked. Pepper brushed the joke aside.

“Potts Industries will foot the bill,” she assured him. “We take care of our own, Tony, you know that. But I expect that overcharging asshole isn’t a very nice person, so take that into consideration.”

Tony didn’t really care. He was going to take little Jarvis to anyone who could help, even if they overcharged and/or were total dicks.

But he was surprised to meet this celebrity doctor and find that he wasn’t a total dick. Not much for small talk, sure - but in no way did he come across to Tony as spiteful or obnoxious.

Though he _did_ overcharge.

After examining Jarvis, the vet confidently said he could take out the tumor and save the puppy’s life. He quoted a shamelessly high amount, to which Tony immediately said okay.

As they were talking shop, Tony noticed the vet seemed to be looking him over. Without warning, the vet reached out and touched his face with both hands. Gently turned his face this way and that.

“Have you been getting enough sleep and fluids?” the vet asked. “You look like death.”

Tony joked that he didn’t realize that a human check-up was part of the consultation fee.

“It’s not,” the doctor matter-of-factly stated. “It’s just way too obvious. Are you losing sleep because of Jarvis? Don’t. With him in my hands, you can rest easy.”

Tony appreciated hearing that, and the medical advice as well. Even from a vet.

The vet seemed a little amused, and also a little indignant to hear this. “I have degrees in both human and animal medicine,” he disclosed. “In fact, I used to work as a medical doctor. Did my residency at Metro General, just a few blocks from here. But I got tired of working on and with humans after a decade. Needed a change.”

“A decade?” Tony chuckled. “Wouldn’t have figured you were that old...”

A corner of the guy’s lips rose. “How old are you, Mr. Stark?”

“35.”

“I’m younger than you.” A full-blown smile now. “By two years.”

“Fuck off,” Tony exclaimed. Then he blushed and immediately said “I’m sorry.”

Apparently charmed, the younger man chuckled.

“It’s all right.” He pointed to his graying temples. “White hair and everything...the truth tends to shock people.”

The rest of the afternoon wrapped up pleasantly. The vet gave Tony his personal number so that he could call in case of an emergency. He gave all his clients his personal number, he said: part of his fee was being on call 24/7.

Eight weeks, seven phone calls, twenty-three texts exchanged and a major operation later, Tony and a happy, fully recovered Jarvis returned to Stephen’s clinic to drop off a thank-you gift basket.

Stephen asked Tony if they could be on first-name basis, given how frequently they corresponded in the course of Jarvis’ treatment. Tony said “Sure thing, Doc.”

And the rest, as we say, was history.

***

Stephen remembered that first meeting fondly.

Tony Stark was not his usual client. His usual client was rich, bossy, entitled - demanding excellent service in exchange for his exorbitant rates. He always obliged. Though he wasn’t always happy about it.

A lot of times, they didn’t even love the animals they brought in. More often than not, they brought in pets they’d acquired specifically for breeding - or exotic animals that were illegal to procure. Their pets were for display, or for profit.

But then...along came this gentle, humble young man with a scraggly shelter pup in his arms. Looking like his heart was going to crumble to pieces if he heard one more doctor say that his pet was going to die.

Stephen didn’t know before then that he was craving for a connection with that kind of person. With the better parts of humanity.

But now that it was in his life, he had no intention of letting it go again.

 _“How was last night at the ER?”_ Tony had called first, after a text.

He was honestly the _only one_ in Stephen’s phone book who texted before calling. It was a courtesy Stephen never failed to appreciate.

“Went okay,” he replied. “Kid with a gunshot wound to the head. Christine needed a second opinion.”

_“Let me guess. You saved the kid’s life?”_

Stephen chuckled. “Bullet was extracted without a hitch.”

A mirroring chuckle at the other end of the line. _“Knew it,”_ completely unironically. _“Of course it went without a hitch. We're talking about you here.”_

Stephen let the compliment fill him up. He deliberately left out the part where the bullet extraction took five hours and he had to go at it manually, because the guidance equipment malfunctioned.

He would have plenty of time to brag about it if Tony went out with him.

Speaking of...

“Hey,” he brightly interrupted. “Since I saved a human life, which happens only like, every time Christine asks...would you care to go out for celebratory drinks tonight? On me.”

There was a reluctant pause. _“Oh...I dunno, Stephen. Miss Potts has another new year party lined up. it’s looking to be another long night.”_

Was it? That sucked. He’d been hoping Tony wouldn’t have to go overtime two nights in a row.

“Can’t ditch her, just for a night?” he weakly suggested. “You need a break, too. In my purely medical opinion.”

_Come on, Tony, say yes. Go out with me. Tell me all about how crazy you are about her. I’m good, as long as I’m with you and can hear your voice._

_“Really wish I could.”_ Tony trailed off.

“...Sure, right, of course,” Stephen stammered. “But uh...I was hoping you could make it tonight. There was something I wanted to ask you.”

_“Over drinks? Is it important?”_

Tony could bet his tight, sweet ass it was.

“Not really. Uh...I’m looking to book a week-long vacation. Somewhere nice, maybe somewhere beachside. You love the beach, right?”

 _“Um...yeah,”_ Tony answered tentatively. _“But it’s your vacation. So what if I do?”_

Stephen paused.

That was a valid question.

Why did he tend to say the wrong things and get tongue-tied whenever it came to Tony?

“See, I was...uh...wondering if you’d like to come with me? Use up your vacation leaves for once. And for actual vacations. Not for getting sick from overwork. What do you think? Could sure use a snorkeling buddy.”

_Say yes. Please say yes._

_“Stephen,”_ Tony began. But then there was a pause, and he seemed to switch gears. _“...I’m sorry. I gotta go. I’ll talk to you soon, okay?”_

“Okay,” Stephen said feebly. “You...you make sure to get enough rest, Tony.”

He could hear the smile at the other end of the line. He could tell it was sad. _“I will, Doc. Thanks.”_

Tony ended the call.

Stephen stared at his phone for a good few seconds after the call was dropped.

_He called me “Doc.”_

_Like he used to._

He wasn’t sure what to call the feeling inside his chest.

He only knew that it shouldn’t get in the way of his day at work.

***

Pepper hated when people called her “Virginia.”

That was the name her father had bulldozed into her birth certificate. And she hated her father.

She wondered if that was what she had fought Mike Govern last night over.

She really, really couldn’t remember.

She sat in her office chair, nursing a hangover. Her trusty assistant, Tony, had made sure she was awake and showered and behind her desk at Potts Industries' LA office in time for a 7 AM meeting,

But she still wished she could remember what happened last night.

She had a stylist to take care of the bags under her eyes, and her eyes weren’t that red, so she didn’t have to wear the sunglasses that she did. But she chose to. Just for fun.

In her line of work, any opportunity to have “fun” was something to be seized. And milked for all it had.

Her assistant, Tony, walked in with a stack of papers in one arm. He looked harassed and sleepless.

Often, Pepper asked herself how this gentle young man was able to stick with her for four whole years. She told herself: he must just be made of sterner stuff.

That was always how she’d always seen Tony, to begin with: warm and soft on the outside - but pure, cold iron on the inside.

It made him the perfect assistant for her.

“Here’s everything about today’s meeting,” he mumbled as he put the papers down on her desk. Then he straightened up and sighed, smoothed out the front of his shirt out of habit. “Ostler Corp. representatives are on their way, I was given a 15-minute ETA, but I can stall them at the waiting room for another 15. So you have 30 minutes to catch up. Let me know if you need coffee or anything.”

“I’m good, Tony, thank you,” she muttered, taking the papers from the tabletop. “You don’t have to stall them. Let them in as soon as they arrive. This won’t take me long to get through.”

Tony blinked. There were so many papers. Ordinary people couldn’t finish going through them in thirty minutes.

But then, she was no ordinary person. She had done much more remarkable feats, in less time.

“...Of course, Miss Potts. Fifteen minutes, then.”

With a nod, he turned to leave.

“Actually...fifteen minutes is a bit too long,” Pepper called. “Can you stay and chat for a bit?”

Tony dropped all the other tasks on his mental slate and did as he was ordered.

She could tell he was tense. That just made her more inclined to delay him from his duties.

Sometimes Tony’s nerves were just so much _fun_ to play with.

“I was thinking,” Pepper casually began. “Maybe I should let you have the night off. Let Happy play nanny for me at the party tonight. What do you say?”

Tony protested. Visibly.

“No, Miss Potts, I -- I don’t need the night off. I’d be happy to accompany you to tonight’s party, too.”

“Really? It’s already four days into the new year. I don’t remember you taking a single break to celebrate.” She smirked. “Are you honestly telling me that you don’t have anyone special to celebrate with? A handsome specimen like yourself?”

 _“Specimen.”_ Oh, that was new. His boss had called him her “scrumptious assistant” a while ago.

This was a whole new level of potential sexual harassment suit - if Tony had been someone else.

Not someone who’d been head over heels in love with their boss for four years.

“Well,” he very carefully said, after clearing his throat, “there’s this person...”

Pepper smiled impishly...leaned forward, rested her chin on her fist.

“Ooh, a person,” she cooed. “At least we’re sure it’s human?”

Tony swallowed.

“Human, yes,” he confirmed. He just wanted this conversation over with. He felt like he was being trapped. “Um. This person...has been my rock. Someone to run to when things get rough. But I feel like this person wants more from me, and...I can’t give it.”

“Why not?”

Why was he telling her this? Then again - why had he been keeping this to himself?

Stephen was a big part of his life. He figured: someone ought to know about him. And who better than his boss, with whom he spent nearly all his daylight hours?

His boss, who made his heart beat faster just by staring at him like this?

“I...may have been harboring feelings for someone else. For years. And this other person...can’t return them. For various reasons.”

He had to shut up. He didn’t have time. His stressed-out mind was already telling him to EXCUSE YOURSELF AND GET BACK TO ARRANGING THE MEETING, NOW. It was already wandering toward following up on doughnut orders and whether or not there were enough coffee cups.

And how he shouldn’t say too much. Not about this.

“There’s no such thing as ‘can’t,’ Tony,“ she said with unusual gentleness. “Either the person feels the way you do, or she doesn’t.”

“Yeah, but she doesn’t even know.”

His hand flew to his mouth.

“Oh, God...” he blurted out.

_I told you to shut up and get back to work, Anthony Edward Stark. That was literally all you had to do._

He was blushing. Furiously. He was sure of it.

Was there a dignified way to run, hide and cry in shame? He would dearly love to know.

“Tony,” Miss Potts said. She stood and approached him.

That was it. She knew.

Tony was sure he was going to get fired. The serious tone of her voice said it.

But he drew a deep breath. Forced himself to calm down. He was going to take whatever punishment he deserved for his unprofessional behavior.

He just had to see this meeting through, first.

“I’m the last person to go to for relationship advice,” Miss Potts said as she stepped up to him, with excruciating slowness. “But I know you. You’re a good person. You show your love in little ways, every day. And if the person is someone you see every day...” She reached out and touched her elegant, delicate fingers to his jawline. “Trust me, she already knows.”

He was calm, wasn’t he?

So why were his knees melting?

Why couldn’t he take his eyes off hers?

“I, I...” He stepped back from her touch, almost bumping into the doorframe. “I have to get the room ready for the meeting, Miss Potts. Excuse me.”

He turned around and fled.

Pepper silently watched him go, a thoughtful look on her face.

Sometimes, forcing Tony to talk while in high pressure situations was the only way she could get him to drop decorum and open up. For one thing, he didn’t think twice before letting words leave his mouth, as he usually did.

She knew him that well.

But it was strange that Tony had used the word “rock” for the other person he spoke of...

 _Tony_ was Pepper’s rock. The one she trusted more than anyone.

So her rock had a rock of his own, did he...?

She smiled to herself. People might think that Tony Stark, executive assistant to a high-powered individual, lived a high-flying life, full of friends and new experiences and complicated affairs.

But the truth was, Tony Stark’s life was simple.

It was all about himself, the person he loved, and the person who loved him.

Through the haze of her vanishing hangover, Pepper arrived at a decision: she had extracted as much information as she could from her guarded assistant.

She would have to find a way to meet this “rock” for herself.


	3. Chapter 3

Stephen’s celebratory drinking buddy ended up being Christine, which suited him perfectly. Even if Christine didn’t drink alcohol.

She was at last night’s operating room, too. She deserved every bit of the honor that he allowed himself to enjoy. She happily worked on a glass of iced tea while he nursed his scotch and soda.

Christine was a good person. The best person Stephen knew, before he met Tony. She tended to have a busy schedule, though, so spending time with her felt like a privilege. One that must not be wasted.

If she asked how he was, he told her nothing less than the truth.

“I asked him to come with me out of town.”

She frowned, already anticipating the rest of what he was going to say. “And...?”

“He said he was going to talk to me soon.”

“...Well, that’s not a ‘no,’ right?”

“I don’t know,” Stephen sighed. He took another sip from his glass. “I’m not sure I want to find out.”

“What does that mean?” Christine asked.

“I could just go on my own. Leave for a week. Maybe meet someone new.”

Christine chuckled, though not mockingly.

“Stephen Strange,” she began to admonish, “I’ve never known you to give up on anything before you got it. Are you giving up on this?”

Stephen didn’t answer.

“Tony Stark is a good guy,” Christine pressed. “I like how you are with him.”

“I see you’re in his corner,” Stephen chuckled. He ran a hand through his hair and looked away. “Look, Christine. He’s in love with someone else. Someone who, for all I know, deserves all the attention he lavishes on her.”

“How about all the attention _he_ deserves? Does he get that from her, too?”

Stephen paused, then shook his head. “That doesn’t matter. He’s happy where he is.”

“And you’re sure about that?”

Stephen went silent again. Christine didn’t like it. She knew both men, though she knew Stephen better. And she knew when Stephen’s confidence was slipping: he went light on the comebacks.

“I’m just speaking for me,” she clarified, “but I wouldn’t read that from someone who regularly confides in you about how hard he’s working for a person who doesn’t even know he exists.”

A grunt escaped Stephen. But it was true. As soon as he asked about Tony’s work frustrations, the man went on and on.

If Tony was indeed happy where he was, he would have said so, at least once.

But there was a reason Stephen wanted to give up, even before he got an outright rejection, and even before he could tell Tony how he really felt.

And that reason was...

***

Mysteriously, Miss Potts cancelled her appearance at the next party.

It was a huge one, with opportunities to network. But she simply instructed Tony to send her regrets.

Tony suddenly had a ton of free time that night.

Maybe he should call Stephen and ask if the offer to join him for drinks was still open...?

But he decided against it. Things were currently weird between him and Stephen. Weirder than they’d ever been.

And there was only one other confidant he could turn to that evening.

“Looks like it’s you and me tonight, bud.”

Four-year-old Jarvis’ tail wagged furiously. He knew the indicators of a long walk.

It almost invariably came with his human feeling down, but damned if he didn’t look forward to it every time.

Tony was silent until they got to the park nearest their apartment. There was a bench there at a secluded spot: Tony’s favorite.

Tony sat down, and, as was his way, began talking to his dog.

“Listen, buddy. It’s not that I don’t like Stephen. I do. You know this, I think, more than anyone.”

The familiar sound of Stephen’s name made Jarvis turn and look at his human. But when there was no indication that they were actually going to see his favorite vet, he resumed simply listening.

“He’s a great guy. Great eyes. Magic hands.” Accurate. Stephen gave the _best_ massages. “Looks out for me. I know that. It’s just...”

He reached out and absently stroked the top of Jarvis’ head.

“I can’t have feelings for two people. It’s not a problem I want to have.”

Jarvis leaned into Tony’s touch. When the patting ended, he lay down flat on the ground to cool off a bit more.

“She said she knew,” Tony continued. “But is that her saying she really doesn’t care for me at all? Was that her way of breaking my heart?”

No response. But Jarvis’ comfortable nearness was the best reply he could have hoped for, at any rate.

“Wish you could talk, bud,” he said softly. “Could sure use some help figuring this out.”

Stephen was the one who usually helped him figure things out. But this time, Stephen was one of the things he needed to think about.

“I’ve been in love with Miss Potts for the longest time,” Tony mused aloud. “If I give up now...”

***

“If I give up now,” Stephen said to Christine with a sad smile, “maybe there’ll be something left to give to someone else.”

Neither of them knew that somewhere else in the city, on an isolated park bench, Tony Stark was saying the exact same thing to his dog.

There was so much love flowing in only one direction, Christine noted. From her stubborn friend _and_ the equally stubborn object of his affections.

If only there was a way for that love to flow both ways...

Christine placed a hand on Stephen’s shoulder.

“You sound like you’ve made up your mind,” she gently pointed out. “But if you’ll take a second opinion...”

A bitter chuckle escaped Stephen.

“...from someone who knows you,” Christine continued, undaunted, "you have a lot of love to give. You _never_ have to worry about it drying up. I’ve seen how Tony brought that out in you. So I wouldn’t recommend you trying to see other people, without resolving things with him first.”

Stephen shook his head again.

“Easier said than done,” he said miserably. “I can’t make a mistake here, Christine. I can’t lose him as a friend. Can’t afford it.”

Christine leaned over and planted a light kiss in his hair.

“I know,” Christine whispered. “But Stephen...you can’t let your fear of failure get in the way of this one. Or you _will_ lose him. Before you even know how he feels.”

***

Stephen was expecting another slow day at the clinic.

But then a new client came along.

She walked through the door in a breezy Isabel Marant dress, sunglasses and heels that commanded attention. Her shoulder-length red hair hung loose and tastefully styled, billowing with her every unhurried step.

Also, she had a large, thick-bodied snake draped over her shoulders.

The elegant lady told his receptionist that she didn’t have an appointment, but it didn’t matter because there was no one in line to see him.

That wasn’t how it worked, the receptionist tried to argue: especially where exotic pets were involved, Doctor Strange needed to be informed beforehand of the nature of the consultation.

“It’s all right, Billy,” Stephen called from within his office. “Let her in.”

With a final smug smile at the receptionist, she walked into his office like she owned the whole place, fearlessly stroking the snake around her shoulders.

“Please, have a seat,” Stephen greeted. Formal with her as he was with nearly all his other clients. “But before you do, you may want to deposit your little friend into the empty glass tank by the door.”

“Oh, Obadiah can stay with me,” she said. “I was assured he wasn’t poisonous.”

“He’s not, because he’s a boa constrictor,” Stephen calmly informed her. “He doesn’t need to poison you. He just has to wrap around your neck like he’s about to do now.”

The woman froze. That was Stephen’s cue to step forward and help by gently and carefully lifting Obadiah the (tame and very healthy) boa constrictor from her shoulders.

The woman let out a relieved breath only when Stephen had placed all of Obadiah into the tank.

“To be honest, I just got him from the pet store last night. Needed an excuse to drop by this Greenwich Village vet I heard so many good things about.” She fixed her hair indignantly, then blew a raspberry. “This is what happens when I try to do things without Tony’s help.”

The mention of Tony’s name made Stephen pull himself up.

“I believe you know my assistant? Tony Stark?” Though the woman didn’t remove her sunglasses, Stephen could tell she was sizing him up. “He has no idea that I’m here, by the way, and I’d appreciate you keeping this between us for the moment.”

He extended his hand to her. “Then I believe I have the honor of meeting...”

She took his hand. Her grip was strong.

“Pepper Potts,” she answered with an impish smile. “The boss.”


	4. Chapter 4

Pepper Potts had a secret.

The secret was that the sunglasses she liked to wear weren’t just for show.

(Although they really _were_ stylish. Her research team partnered with Salvatore Ferragamo for the design. They went well with the shape of her face and _everything_ she wore.)

They were fitted with an experimental AI that told her various things about the people within her line of vision.

It was just one of the many prototypes that Potts Industries was planning to roll out in the coming years. Of course, as owner of the company, she got to enjoy them before anyone else did.

The glasses would tell her, for example, if a person’s blood pressure was rising. Or if their heart started beating just a little faster or slower. If their pupils were dilating.

If they were lying.

What they couldn’t tell her was what people were thinking. What they kept near and dear to them.

And that was why she was there. In a hole in the wall veterinary clinic in Greenwich Village.

“I struggle to understand, Miss Potts,” the vet said behind linked fingers, “how you came to know about my relationship with your assistant, and how it’s any of your concern.”

“Well,” Pepper pleasantly began, “Tony has been in my employ for a little over...five years now, I think. Since then he’s proven himself nothing less than indispensable. In all that time, I’ve come to think of him as...family.”

“Family,” Dr. Strange acidly echoed. “Is that all?”

Pepper’s glasses displayed a spike in stress levels, similar to that in someone getting ready for a fight. Curious.

“That may be the wrong word,” Pepper admitted. “I meant to say, I care about him. Very much.”

Strange calmed down a bit. But he still looked and sounded suspicious.

“Enough to spy on him?” he asked her. “I presume that, as the owner of the company that made his smartphone, you have access to his private correspondences.”

Pepper laughed brightly.

“Ex- _cuse_ me,” she scoffed. “We have strict confidentiality policies at Potts Industries. Even the CEO has to adhere to them. No information gathering without consent.”

“Is that so?” Dr. Strange’s eyes narrowed. “Then why are you wearing glasses that measure my bodily functions without my consent?”

Pepper smirked.

Shrewd. Of course. Tony was a smart guy himself - he wouldn’t keep the company of simpletons.

“Who says I am?” she challenged.

“I’ve been watching the movement of your eyes,” he coolly replied. “The tint on your sunglasses may be dark, but not opaque. Your eyes make micro-movements, like they’re reading off a screen, even while you look at me.”

It was pointless to argue.

“The funny thing is, Sherlock,” she said lazily, “Tony was the one who thought up these glasses. He drew up the features, and my engineers used his notes to design the prototype. He knows what they’re for, and has no objection to me wearing them, even in his presence. He says he has nothing to hide from me.”

Stephen didn’t know what to say. He knew Tony was smart, but...he could design smart glasses, too?

“Tony is brilliant, you know? Would’ve been an engineer, but his family was poor, so he made the choice to settle for a less academic path in life, which got him earning a decent wage faster.”

Her tone softened, her gaze unfocused a bit, as she continued:

“He’s a special person. One of the most special people I know.” She touched the glasses stem that lay against her left temple. “I consider this particular brilliant idea a personal gift, to me. So I won’t just take it off for anyone.”

“Then we have nothing to talk about,” Stephen declared. “Tony may not mind you peering into his innermost workings, but I do.”

Pepper could see that her charm offensive wasn’t working. Which was a shame. None of her society friends ever told her that the man was a looker. If her pheromones had worked on him, it would have made for some...interesting drama.

(Drama that Tony would not have deserved. And one that she would not have pursued, even if the way to it had been open.)

“I promise to take them off, Doctor, if you’ll tell me the truth about one thing.”

“What?”

She leaned forward in her seat.

“Do you have romantic feelings for Tony Stark?”

***

It was sunset. The lighting in the park was making him feel pensive.

Tony sat on his favorite bench, turning the conversation he was about to have over in his head.

_“Hey, guess what?”_

_“What?”_

_“I have some good news.”_

_“Really? Do tell.”_

_“I’ve been promoted! Miss Potts put me in charge of design for our New York software arm! I start next month!”_

_“That’s amazing, Tony! Congratulations!”_

_“Thanks! So...about that trip you mentioned...”_

With a growl, he banished that entire exchange from his mind.

He couldn’t broach the trip. That wasn’t the right way to reveal a major life decision.

Especially given what he was _really_ about to say to Stephen.

Jarvis heard that growl, and looked up at him with alarm. Tony reached down and patted him on the head.

“Sorry I had to drag you all the way out here, bud,” he muttered. “I needed...I dunno. Some moral support, I suppose...”

Jarvis cocked his head.

“This isn’t going to be easy,” Tony revealed to his best friend. “I’m not even sure I can go through with it.”

He sighed.

“I’m going to have to, of course,” he said softly. “It has to be done.”

Jarvis bumped his nose against Tony’s hand. This earned him a light chuckle.

“You know something, Jarvis? I had a dream last night...that things were different.”

It felt weird, recalling the dream. Like he didn’t know what he had really dreamt about, and what was pure wishful thinking.

"Miss Potts had my life, and I had hers, kind of. But you get it? She was pretty much still the way she is now, except a lot less impulsive, maybe, but...I wasn't like this. I could say and do anything I wanted without fear of consequence. I was...stronger. More decisive."

Tony leaned back and looked out into empty space, savoring the fading remnants of that dream.

“Wish I could be my dream-self, just for a moment,” he said, more to himself than to Jarvis. “It’ll sure come in handy for...”

“For what?”

Tony turned to face the one who spoke.

***

He had every right to refuse to answer.

But Pepper Potts had a way of making people feel like it was a once in a lifetime opportunity to speak with her - and if he missed his chance, it wouldn’t come again.

Maybe it was her perfume. Or her posture. Or her casual yet classy clothes. But she _exuded_ power.

And Stephen could fight for control of the situation all he wanted, but he was going to lose.

Instead of answering outright, he asked, “Why does it matter?”

“It matters,” Pepper readily said, “because I want him to be happy. I want him to find someone who cares for him. And based on the text messages you’ve exchanged with him, I’m pretty sure that ‘someone’ is you.”

Stephen blinked.

“Wait,” he said, alarmed, “I thought you guys had strict confidentiality policies...”

“ _We_ do, but other tech companies don’t.” She smirked. “You’d be surprised how many of your chats, emails, texts and such get into circulation.”

Stephen frowned. “If you’re hoping to get me to trust you with intimate details of my personal life, I’m afraid you’re failing.”

“What does it matter if you trust me or not?” Pepper asked, spreading her arms wide. “What do you have to lose by telling the truth?”

She did drive a hard bargain.

“You already know,” he said quietly. “You don’t need me to say it.”

Pepper’s eyes stayed on Stephen, and at the same time silently read out the results running across the mini-screens that served as lenses to her sunglasses.

Then, true to her word, she unceremoniously pushed the sunglasses up her forehead, so that it kept the well-styled hair out of her face.

“Okay,” she muttered. “Okay.”

For a moment, Stephen was struck by how blue her eyes were. How perfectly symmetrical her heart-shaped face was. How her hair shone even in the dimmest of lights.

She was a vision. Tony was no fool for falling for this.

“Here’s the thing, Doctor,” she said, in her usual careless tone. “I know how you feel. I do. And here’s the thing: I want him to end up with you.”

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Something that Stephen noted as an unconscious sign of nervousness.

As well as...uncertainty?

“But I don’t know how to push him into your arms. Without lying to him, that is. And telling him I don’t have feelings for him. Which isn’t true.”

These words lay heavy between them both. Stephen wished he could take them in the spirit in which they were said, which was flippant. Almost joking.

But there was a sadness in her perfect blue eyes that told him that she meant it.

“You,” he ventured, “have feelings for Tony, too?”

“You tell me, Doctor.” She sounded almost hostile. “if you have a guy like him in your life...looking after you, making sure you’re safe, keeping you on the right track, making you feel like you’ll have someone on your side no matter what...will you really not feel anything for him? Really?”

She really did like him.

“Miss Potts,” he softly answered, “I wish I knew.”

She looked him in the eye for a second, accepting his sympathy, then quickly looked away.

“But that solves things, doesn’t it?” Stephen suggested. “If he has feelings for you, and you have feelings for him...isn’t that what you call in the business world a ‘done deal’?”

There was a pause, pregnant with feeling.

Then Pepper grunted.

She was smiling. As if she was listening to something inside her that comforted her, while dictating what she said next:

“Maybe someday, if I’m a good girl, and very, very lucky...I’ll find someone _exactly_ like him. But right now, I’m not what he needs. He needs someone who can take care of him. Be for him what he is to others. He needs to know that he needs that, too. So I’m going to trust you to let him know.”

She didn’t even let him speak. This was something she’d thought through.

“Is that your professional assessment, Miss Potts?” he quietly asked her.

She faced him again. This time, all the reluctance was gone, and she was beaming with confidence.

“It is, Doctor. And I’m not here to get a second opinion.” She smiled brightly at him. “I’m here to make you an offer.”

***

“Stephen.”

“Tony,” the vet jokingly greeted.

Damn, Tony said to himself, but he looked good.

Stephen always chose the best clothes. Some of the high vet fees he charged definitely went into quality wardrobe.

Or maybe it wasn’t the clothes. Maybe his very presence just made everything light up. Made it more beautiful.

Tony was ready to admit that to himself, now.

“You wanted to talk to me?” Stephen shifted his attention from Tony to his dog. “Hey, boy. Didn’t know you were coming. Good thing I brought these, just in case.”

He fished a few milk biscuits from his coat pocket. Jarvis could hardly contain his excitement as he _chomped_ them from Stephen’s palm.

Stephen really knew how to make Jarvis’ day.

It brought a sad smile to Tony’s face.

“Sit,” he invited. “There’s something I want to talk to you about.”

Stephen, noticeably apprehensive but too proud to admit it, sat as instructed.

Tony went straight to the point, but it didn’t play out exactly as it did in his head. Stephen responded appropriately, but sounded distracted. He was deep in thought.

Maybe Tony should have asked if he had something on his mind, first.

“So you’ve been promoted,” Stephen muttered. “Congratulations.”

“Thank you,” Tony reluctantly replied. There was an awkward pause after.

At the end of it, Stephen placed a hand on his shoulder.

“You deserve it,” Stephen remarked. “But that means you won’t be Miss Potts’ assistant anymore. How do you feel about that?”

Tony didn’t answer right away, and Stephen’s hand slipped off. They looked away from each other.

“That’s...actually what I wanted to talk to you about,” Tony said softly. “I...will need to be based in New York permanently. Find an apartment here. Somewhere to settle.”

Stephen seemed to perk up at the word “permanently.” But it took him a while to think of a reply, too.

“It’ll take you away from Miss Potts for the long haul,” he eventually said. “Are you saying...you’re not going to take the promotion?”

Tony looked for signs of hopefulness in his voice. He found none.

He took a deep breath and continued:

“Stephen, I’m almost 40. People my age are already settled down, with kids. And, sad as I am to admit it, I feel myself slowing down. I _need_ to have a permanent place.”

“It’s all those late nights,” Stephen light-heartedly interrupted. “Listen, let yourself sleep in sometimes, and - “

“Please.”

There was no edge to it, but that one word still stunned Stephen into silence.

Tony continued:

“It’s getting late in the day for me to keep being dishonest, for the comfort of things staying as they are. I don’t want to ask myself what could have been if I didn’t take the leap. If I had been...braver.”

He thought about telling Stephen about the dream he had. Where he was more courageous. Stronger. More insulated.

But it only took him a second to decide that it was irrelevant.

This was a safer, softer world. He was in the presence of one of the kindest people he knew.

He didn’t need armor here.

“So what I’m saying is...” Tony cleared his throat. “Are you still going on that week-long trip? If so, I was wondering if your invitation was still open. I’d like to celebrate this new phase in my life. With someone I like.”

Stephen fell very still.

Then he sputtered. Stammered.

“So...when you say ‘like’...”

“Stephen,” sternly, “I’m saying I like you. I’ve liked you for a while. I just...haven’t been dealing with these feelings well, and that’s no one’s fault but mine.”

Without looking at the person seated beside him, Tony reached for his hand. That hand curled around his tightly.

And Tony’s grip grew tighter in response.

“If that’s going to complicate your getaway plans, feel free to disinvite me,” Tony quickly said. “I’ll completely understand. You go and have fun, I’ll be waiting here until we can talk about it.”

“Talk about what?” Stephen laughed - but it sounded more like a sigh of relief, than a laugh. “Tony, for God’s sake - you must know that I like you, too. Have liked you for an insanely long time.”

“Okay, so,” Tony chuckled, “you can kiss me now, in case that wasn’t clear.”

Joke or not, Stephen wasn’t letting the opportunity pass.

He kissed Tony, and Tony kissed him back.

It was.

So much better than Stephen had imagined.

And he had imagined it, so many times. This, and more than this. But the real thing still blew him away.

It felt like he could stay in this kiss forever. But Stephen had been thinking about something before this, wasn’t he? He needed to get back to it.

Jarvis barking once to catch their attention did the trick. On cue, Stephen pulled away, still feeling giddy and light-headed.

“But,” he tentatively began. “What about Miss Potts?”

The expression of pure exhilaration on Tony’s face suddenly dimmed.

“Miss Potts is,” Tony carefully began, “a dream. A dream I’ve had for years, and now I think I’m starting to wake up from.”

Stephen smiled sadly. He knew what that meant.

He still loved her. Would always love her, perhaps.

But that kiss had been real. The way he continued to hold Stephen’s hand was steady. Sure. Real.

Tony liked him - and it was real.

“So,” Tony chuckled brightly, “where will you be whisking us off to?”

Stephen grimaced. “Uh...I actually haven’t...”

Oh. Wait.

He suddenly remembered what he had been thinking about:

Miss Potts’ “offer.”

“...just a minute.”

He let go of Tony and reached into his other coat pocket - the one that didn’t have the treats in it for Jarvis.

Tony watched, curious, as Stephen pulled out his phone.

And sent a text.

  
***

“Here’s my offer. I’m about to turn Tony’s life around. A promotion. I need a new design head for our software arm in New York, and I’m going to recommend him for the position. And when I say ‘recommend’ - it’s as good as saying ‘assign.’ The board of directors can’t refuse me. I have all the strings I need to pull.”

“That’s...very generous of you. If it’s a promotion that Tony actually _wants_.”

“That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it, Doctor? How well do you know him? What do you think he’ll say?”

“I think he’ll welcome the chance for higher pay, and the fixed location. Tony may have a talent for making sense of chaos, but his restless mind works best in the quiet.”

“So you _do_ know him well. I wasn’t mistaken.”

“Well enough to know that if new opportunities will take him away from you, he’ll hesitate to take them.”

“You understand. The choices before Tony are clear: either he stays on with me as my assistant, and jet around the world with me for a couple more good years - or he takes the new job, and stays in New York with you.”

“This is starting to sound like a proposal to gamble, Miss Potts, and I am not a gambling man.”

“I said I was making you an offer, Doctor, not a bet. Listen to me. If Tony decides to take the job, he’ll tell you about it first. This is a certainty. When he does, I want you to send a text to the number I’m going to push to your phone after I leave your office. I don’t care what kind of text it is. Could be an eggplant emoji, for all I care.”

“And if he won’t take the job?”

“Then I guess you just won’t hear about it.”

“But what will happen if I send that text? Will a bomb go off somewhere? Is a SWAT team going to drop in to arrest me or something?”

“Nothing so bad, Doctor. Far from it. In fact, it’s more like a gift.”

“...You said you were making me an offer, not a gift. An offer usually means you want something in exchange.”

“Sharp. I do. Just one thing.”

“What is it?”

“Take care of him. For me. Make him happy. Give him everything I can’t.”

***

_Really?_ Tony said to himself. _Texting someone at this time?_

“You better not be sexting,” he said aloud, “or I swear to God...”

Stephen put down his phone.

“What? No,” he scoffed. “It’s just this silly...thing. Miss Potts told me...”

“Miss Potts?” Tony’s eyes widened. “You talked to her?”

“Yes. And I think I should tell you about that. She - “

Stephen’s phone “ding”-ed. An email.

“- she just sent me...plane tickets.”

“What?”

Tony grabbed the phone from Stephen’s hands. It was open to his email.

There were, indeed, plane tickets.

First class.

To Palawan, Philippines.

Two plane tickets. Plus flight accommodations for a pet.

Tony was the one who booked his boss’ business flights, and he didn’t even _know_ pets could fly in first class cabins with their owners...

The phone dinged again. Another email. One that contained reservations for an all expense paid week’s stay at an exclusive resort in El Nido.

For Dr. Stephen Strange and Mr. Anthony Stark.

 _“I know you love beaches,”_ the email said. _“I hear this is one of the best.”_ And it was simply signed: _“P.”_

Pepper Potts always signed her emails to Tony with just “P.” Clearly, the emails weren’t meant to be read by Stephen alone, even if they had been sent to his phone.

***

Pepper Potts was determined not to sit through another episode of her new assistant, Happy Hogan, begging her forgiveness for yet another screwup with her schedule.

“It’s fine,” she sighed wearily, waving him off, “just...tell them there was a booking conflict. We’ll work on a video message for them, or something.”

Poor, stressed-out Happy was still apologizing as he backed out of her office. Pepper’s Salvatore Ferragamo sunglasses AI said she should probably bring his high blood pressure to his attention.

Happy had been on the security staff for ages. He was actually on track to be head of security, but for some reason, he jumped at the chance to take over as Pepper Potts’ assistant - even if the pay wasn’t much better, and if it meant a completely different career path.

Tony had personally recommended him because he was dedicated, hardworking and quick to learn. Happy kind of reminded Pepper of Tony when he was still starting off, though he was already close in age to her and Tony. He certainly _was_ dedicated and hardworking. Pepper guessed they both just needed to ride out the learning curve.

Pepper wondered what Tony had told him about her. Everything, she hoped. Even the messy, undignified, not-quite-sober parts.

Tony knew her inside out. The new assistant should do the same.

 _“Just checking in, Miss Potts,”_ Tony said, twelve whole hours away. _“How is Happy taking to things?”_

Behind him was some sort of dining area, with plenty of sunlight - an open bar, perhaps, near the sea. Soft sounds of lounge music and water reaching shore were constantly in the background.

Tony looked so peaceful. So relaxed. She never remembered him looking like that in all the five years she’d known him.

“He switched Oscorp and Leland Baxter’s dates, and forgot to log down the meeting with Switzerland.” Pepper let a genuine note of whining into her voice. “So I missed that one, but it’s not unfixable.”

 _“It’s not,”_ Tony laughingly agreed. _“Our people up there are lenient. You can just send them a video message or something.”_

She had kept her sunglasses on, so he wouldn’t see how her heart was breaking as she smiled.

“Happy’s great,” she decided to say. “Someday he may even be better than you.”

 _“Oh, I don’t doubt it,”_ Tony chuckled. _“But go easy on him, all right? I imagine I’ll have a lot of adjusting to do, too, when I get back as your new design chief.”_

A dog barked somewhere near Tony. Then a male voice she recognized said something faint and unintelligible.

 _“Stephen,”_ Tony said to someone off his smartphone’s camera. _“You have to throw it back at him. Throw it - no, not like that! Farther! Far - ”_

He sighed loudly. But Pepper could tell there was no real frustration there.

_“ - Okay, I think I need to do a small demo over here. Sorry to cut this short. Happy keeps saying everything’s going swell, so I thought I’d ask you, too, just to be sure. You’ll call me if anything goes ass-up, right?”_

Pepper shook her head. “I know you fixed up as much as you could before leaving for your trip,” she said to him. “The world won’t end. Just enjoy yourself. And say hi to the good doctor for me.”

He promised to do so, smiling with an old familiar fondness that had not faded. Not one bit.

_"Thank you."_

Pepper's eyebrows rose. "For what?" 

_"For this. For five good years. For everything."_

Pepper thought she was going to cry then and there.

But she was a Potts woman. She was made of tougher steel. 

"You sound like we'll never see each other again, Mr. Stark," she cheerfully replied. "I'd better see you at the New York office first thing after you get back." 

She wasn’t the one who made the call, but she was the one who ended it.

Someday, which she hoped would be soon, she was going to get used to this. To not hearing Tony’s voice first thing in the morning, or feeling the comfort of his presence somewhere nearby when she had to do tedious or reckless or world-shaking things.

But for now, it felt like she had lost a limb. And the pain of the loss was only lessened by the knowledge that she had given it up willingly.

To someone who deserved the chance Tony had given him.

Of course she had done a thorough background check. Doctor Strange was a good man. A “keeper,” as they say.

He’d damned well better be.

Someday, she would no longer miss Tony.

Someday, it would no longer hurt.

She removed her sunglasses for a bit, only to wipe her eyes dry. Then she put them on again, took a deep breath and stood.

She was a busy woman. There was so much to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quite a lot of POV and timeline switching happens in this last part, so I hope it wasn't very hard to read!
> 
> Bit of trivia: I listened to a few oldies on repeat while writing this. I managed to pin down some character songs for this AU. If curious (and if you feel it won't ruin the experience of reading this fic), feel free to try them out:
> 
> Stephen = [Jerry Vale - You Don't Know Me](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gybMh2Vob00)
> 
> Tony = [Andy Williams - If Ever I Would Leave You](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_FNxwRw59s)
> 
> Pepper = [Joni James - There Goes My Heart](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhJV3a3xIq0)
> 
> Inspiration for Pepper's final "offer" was Tony telling Coulson "I'll fly you there. Keep the love alive" in the first Avengers movie. Such a short line, but it said a lot about Tony's character, to me. I wanted that carried over to this AU Pepper's character.


End file.
